Centre Supports Or Not, Telangana Will Build Houses For Poor: Minister Ponguleti

Telangana will not slow down its efforts to provide homes to the poor even if the Centre fails to extend the expected financial support, Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said on Wednesday.

Ponguleti said the state government had been waiting for nearly a year for funds due from the Centre under the housing programme for rural areas. Despite repeated requests, not a single rupee has been released so far, he said, adding that the delay was creating difficulties for beneficiaries awaiting payments.

The Minister said the demand for housing had grown substantially because adequate numbers of houses were not constructed for the poor in Telangana, particularly in rural areas, between 2014 and 2023. Against this backdrop, the state had repeatedly urged the Centre to sanction houses in line with Telangana’s requirements.

He said the state government had initially kept the final bills for completed houses pending in anticipation of receiving central funds. However, with no positive response forthcoming, the government could not keep beneficiaries waiting indefinitely, he said.

Ponguleti pointed out that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had personally met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on several occasions, seeking additional housing allocations for Telangana.

The Minister also said that when Chouhan visited Telangana recently, he had met the Union Minister along with MPs about two weeks ago and pressed for the release of funds for housing.

Ponguleti stressed that the state would continue to discharge its responsibility towards the poor even if the Centre did not fulfil its share. Financial constraints would not come in the way of the government’s commitment to providing houses, he said.

The state government, he added, regarded fulfilling the dream of owning a house as a high-priority commitment, particularly for economically vulnerable families.